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The Thousandth Birthday Party
Durant Imboden, first published in If: Worlds of Science Fiction, December, 1966.
part 4
“Ogie.”
“Yes, darling?”
“Ogie, honey. I’m very worried about the party. What if you don’t win the lottery?”
“I think thet answer to that question is fairly obvious, Helen. And I haven’t a chance in a million of winning.”
“Kitty Murhpy’s thirty-second cousin’s best friend’s brother won the lottery, Ogie. People do win it, after all.”
“Yes, but how about the billions of other people who don’t?” Carr’s expression was glum. It reflected his disposition perfectly.
“You’d better win the lottery, that’s all I’ve got to say.”
“What do you mean, I’d better win the lottery?”
“If they kill you Ogies, I’ll kill myself. I want to be with you.”
“There’s no heaven, Helen.”
“For me there is. And for you, because you’re mine. I’ve known there was a heaven since ‘way back in Sunday school.”
“I hope there is, dear. I’ll admit I don’t look forward to not meeting up with you somewhere along thet line. Although I’ll be damned if I want to spend eternity playing a bloody harp.”
“Ogie, you’re going to die!” She blurted the words suddenly. “But I’m going to die with you.”
“You can’t let yourself die, Helen. You’ve got too many years of happiness and excitement ahead of you. You’re only 258 years old.”
“Our first batch of kids are gron up, Ogie, and we never got around to having more. I would have liked to have more, Ogie. But I guess it’s too late now.”
“You could remarry,” he said, putting a slightly trembling hand on her shoulder.
“Do you want me to remarry?” she asked.
“No.”
“There you are. And I don’t want to remarry, either. Even if you did have that other wife, I know you loved me best, and I don’t ever want anyone lese, Ogie.”
“Don’t say ‘loved’, Helen. I don’t like to hear you speaking in the past tense already. You know I’ll love you right up to the end.”
“And I’ll love you, too, Ogie. Only —”
“Yes, dear?”
“Ogie, if there are girl angels up there, don’t go hanging around with them. Wait till I’m up there with you, okay?”
In this Sunday series of posts I will be “re-publishing” pulp science fiction short stories that have long since gone out of print. When possible I will seek out author’s and estates for permission.
